At night during the season I would play under the tree. My mom always had little toys, dolls and decorations that became part of my Hot Wheels adventure. Sometimes I would "fly" a model airplane into the living room only lit with tree lights. The radio and my mom cleaning the kitchen was the soundtrack to these adventures.

My husband likes to tell the kids about when he was little and one thing that he remembered about the Christmas holidays, was when his dad would put up lights around the outside of the house. There was one light in the strand that would blink, and his dad would make sure that it was the light outside his bedroom window. For some reason, he really liked it.

When our kids were born, my husband bought a lighted snowflake hang outside each child's window for them to look at as they fall asleep.

Humbug! Poppycock! Balderdash! Bah!
Scavengers and sycophants and flatterers and fools,
Pharisees and parasites and hypocrites and ghouls,
Calculating swindlers, prevaricating frauds
Perpetrating evil as they roam the Earth in hordes.
Feeding on their fellow men,
Reaping rich rewards.
Contaminating everything they see.
Corrupting honest men like me.

People are despicable creatures,
Loathesome inexplicable creatures,
Good-for-nothing kickable creatures.
I hate people! I abhor them!
When I see the indolent classes
Sitting on their indolent asses,
Gulping ale from indolent glasses,
I hate people! I detest them!
I deplore them!

I hate people! I loathe people!
I despise and abominate people!
Life is full of cretinous wretches
Earning what their sweatiness fetches,
Empty minds whose pettiness stretches
Further than I can see.
Little wonder I hate people.
And I don't care if they hate me!

"I Hate People" from Scrooge, Leslie Bricusse
best Christmas carol of the bunch!

Hey, don't hold back. Say what you really feel! Great writing by the way...

I can appreciate those feelings. I see that part of it, but I choose to ignore it in spite of what I see. It really is about the simple things...the children, the aged, families together for the short time we have each other. Most of all it's about the simplicity of the true message at it's core.

Ah, Christmas.......
I used to love it as a kid. Not being able to go out to the living room and see what Santa left till 6am, that was the LAW. If we woke Mom up before that, we couldn't go out till 7, then 8, so all 5 of us were so quiet till 6. Hard work, but we did it.
Most memorable christmas was the one that all of us kids got bikes. It didn't matter that I had no idea how to ride one, I had a BIKE!!!!
The older I got the more dissapointing they became.....sigh.
I wish there was some way to get that magic back.

"Life ain't like books.
Books got somebody writin' 'em and tryin' to entertain ya.
Life is more like a set of Legos.
Unless you take care of 'em, you lose a few pieces and you end up steppin' on 'em with bare feet.
You gotta take care of your life."
~Laura Moncur

(09-25-2010 09:51 PM)HardwareGrl Wrote: Ah, Christmas.......
I used to love it as a kid. Not being able to go out to the living room and see what Santa left till 6am, that was the LAW. If we woke Mom up before that, we couldn't go out till 7, then 8, so all 5 of us were so quiet till 6. Hard work, but we did it.
Most memorable christmas was the one that all of us kids got bikes. It didn't matter that I had no idea how to ride one, I had a BIKE!!!!
The older I got the more dissapointing they became.....sigh.
I wish there was some way to get that magic back.

When our kids were small, we made them wait until 7AM (after one Christmas morning, our 5 year old went to the 3 year old's room at 4AM, woke him up and the two of them ran into the living room to tear into gifts. Their dad wasn't too thrilled to get up to tell them to go back to bed). I think that we've finally conceded to getting up at 6:30. The kids are 14 and 12 now, but it's like trying to hold gerbils at bay with a string.

(09-25-2010 09:51 PM)HardwareGrl Wrote: Ah, Christmas.......
I used to love it as a kid. Not being able to go out to the living room and see what Santa left till 6am, that was the LAW. If we woke Mom up before that, we couldn't go out till 7, then 8, so all 5 of us were so quiet till 6. Hard work, but we did it.
Most memorable christmas was the one that all of us kids got bikes. It didn't matter that I had no idea how to ride one, I had a BIKE!!!!
The older I got the more dissapointing they became.....sigh.
I wish there was some way to get that magic back.

Yes, I remember my "bike Christmas." It was exciting. We have the memory of those feelings. the challenge is to create them for others the way they were created for us. for our kids, our parents, our siblings, our significant others...I have to say that for me the excitement lies in food. Making it, or going out to the markets near Christmas to buy it. It's like London on Christmas Eve in Dicken's A Christmas Carol. It's the bustling of many preparing love for their families. Not the presents, though it's fun to give and receive. This is where I disagree with Neil. It IS better to give than receive (from Free Will). Besides, when you give you receive back; it's like a natural law I think. I love showing up to someone's home with a really great bottle of wine and the pie from the best bakery. I'm so happy to see everyone enjoy it, and I get to share in the pleasure myself.

(09-25-2010 09:51 PM)HardwareGrl Wrote: Ah, Christmas.......
I used to love it as a kid. Not being able to go out to the living room and see what Santa left till 6am, that was the LAW. If we woke Mom up before that, we couldn't go out till 7, then 8, so all 5 of us were so quiet till 6. Hard work, but we did it.
Most memorable christmas was the one that all of us kids got bikes. It didn't matter that I had no idea how to ride one, I had a BIKE!!!!
The older I got the more dissapointing they became.....sigh.
I wish there was some way to get that magic back.

Yes, I remember my "bike Christmas." It was exciting. We have the memory of those feelings. the challenge is to create them for others the way they were created for us. for our kids, our parents, our siblings, our significant others...I have to say that for me the excitement lies in food. Making it, or going out to the markets near Christmas to buy it. It's like London on Christmas Eve in Dicken's A Christmas Carol. It's the bustling of many preparing love for their families. Not the presents, though it's fun to give and receive. This is where I disagree with Neil. It IS better to give than receive (from Free Will). Besides, when you give you receive back; it's like a natural law I think. I love showing up to someone's home with a really great bottle of wine and the pie from the best bakery. I'm so happy to see everyone enjoy it, and I get to share in the pleasure myself.

Yeah, I'm with you on that. I host Christmas now for the whole family, and thats where my grown-up pleasure comes from now. Putting on a spread that you wouldn't believe and feeding everyone that comes throught my door Christmas Day.
But, wouldn't it be nice if one year somebody remembered the Red Rider BB gun for you? Huh?

"Life ain't like books.
Books got somebody writin' 'em and tryin' to entertain ya.
Life is more like a set of Legos.
Unless you take care of 'em, you lose a few pieces and you end up steppin' on 'em with bare feet.
You gotta take care of your life."
~Laura Moncur

I love that film. It's one of those movies you have to watch even though you've seen it 1000 times. Mcgavern or whatever the actor's name is plays a great role as the father. I liked him in Kolchak, The Night Stalker in the 70's. As a kid it really gave me the willies. ...but back to Christmas. The late 40's were a great time in classic America. It seemed that society was a bit more focused and hopeful. I get a sense of it from "Christmas Story" and the shadows of memories, stories, photographs and artifacts that I experienced through my grandparents. I also like modern classics like "Home Alone." This year I'll make the infamous Antiguan Christmas Garlic Pork "Convingadelish." See my post on this recipe especially if you like it spicy! It'll warm your body like Christmas warms the soul.